The first in a series of powerful October storms will approach the BC coast late tonight bringing heavy rains and strong winds. A second storm is expected early Friday while a third will make landfall later on Saturday.

Rainfall will be heavy at times. Total rainfall accumulations from these storms may exceed 200 mm for West and Inland areas of Vancouver Island. Inner coastal regions may exceed 100 mm with even higher amounts near the mountains.Strong winds will also accompany these storms and at times may exceed 80 km/h over exposed coastal areas.

At this time it looks like each storm will become more intense. Details concerning the precise storm track is expected to become clearer as time progresses and warnings are likely to be issued for multiple regions throughout the next several days.Please continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada. To report severe weather, send an email to pacificstorm@ec.gc.ca or tweet reports to #BCStorm.